Are there extraterrestrial life-forms out there? The question of life on
other planets is a hot topic in our culture today. Science fiction movies
and television shows often depict strange creatures from far-away planets.
But these ideas are not limited merely to science fiction programming.
Many secular scientists believe that one day we will actually discover life on
other planets. There are even projects like the Search for Extra-Terrestrial
Intelligence (SETI) that scan the heavens with powerful radio telescopes
listening for signals from intelligent aliens. Many Christians have bought
into the idea of extraterrestrial alien life. But is this idea really biblical? The
Christian should constantly examine ideas in light of Scripture and take
“every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5).

The Evolution Connection

The idea of "extraterrestrial life" stems largely from a belief in evolution.
Recall that in the evolutionary view, the earth is “just another planet”—one
where the conditions just happened to be right for life to form and evolve. If
there are countless billions of other planets in our galaxy, then surely at least
a handful of these worlds have also had the right conditions. Extraterrestrial
life is almost inevitable in an evolutionary worldview.

However, the notion of alien life does not square well with Scripture.
The earth is unique. God designed the earth for life (Isaiah 45:18). The other
planets have an entirely different purpose than does the earth, and thus, they
are designed differently. In Genesis 1 we read that God created plants on the
earth on Day 3, birds to fly in the atmosphere and marine life to swim in the
ocean on Day 5, and animals to inhabit the land on Day 6. Human beings
were also made on Day 6 and were given dominion over the animals. But
where does the Bible discuss the creation of life on the “lights in the expanse
of the heavens”? There is no such description because the lights in the expanse
were not designed to accommodate life. God gave care of the earth to man,
but the heavens are the Lord’s (Psalm 115:16). From a biblical perspective,
extraterrestrial life does not seem reasonable.

Problems are multiplied when we consider the possibility of intelligent
alien life. Science fiction programming abounds with races of people who
evolved on other worlds. We see examples of Vulcans and Klingons—pseudohumans
similar to us in most respects but different in others. As a plot device,
these races allow the exploration of the human condition from the perspective
of an outsider. Although very entertaining, such alien races are theologically
problematic. Intelligent alien beings cannot be redeemed. God’s plan of redemption
is for human beings: those descended from Adam. Let us examine
the conflict between the salvation message and the notion of alien life.

The Redemption of Mankind

The Bible teaches that the first man, Adam, rebelled against God (Genesis 3). As a result, sin and death entered the world (Romans 5:12). We are all
descended from Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:20) and have inherited from them
a sin nature (Romans 6:6, 20). This is a problem: sin is a barrier that prevents
man from being right with God (Isaiah 59:2). But God loves us despite our
sin and provided a plan of redemption—a way to be reconciled with God.

After Adam and Eve sinned, God made coats of skins to cover them
(Genesis 3:21). He therefore had to kill at least one animal. This literal action
is symbolic of our salvation; an innocent Lamb (Christ—the Lamb of God)
would be sacrificed to provide a covering for sin (John 1:29). In the Old
Testament, people would sacrifice animals to the Lord as a reminder of their
sin (Hebrews 10:3) and as a symbol of the One to come, the Lord Jesus, who
would actually pay the penalty for sin.

The animal sacrifices did not actually pay the penalty for sin (Hebrews 10:4, 11). Animals are not related to us; their shed blood cannot count for
ours. But the blood of Christ can. Christ is a blood relative of ours since He
is descended from Adam as are we; all human beings are of “one blood” (
Acts 17:26). Furthermore, since Christ is also God, His life is of infinite value, and thus, His death can pay for all the sins of all people. That is why only the Lord
Himself could be our Savior (Isaiah 45:21). Therefore, Christ died once for
all (Hebrews 10:10).

The Redemption of ET?

When we consider how the salvation plan might apply to any hypothetical
extraterrestrial (but otherwise human-like) beings, we are presented
with a problem. If there were Vulcans or Klingons out there, how would they be saved? They are not
blood relatives of Jesus, and
so Christ’s shed blood cannot
pay for their sin. One might
at first suppose that Christ
also visited their world, lived
there, and died there as well,
but this is antibiblical. Christ
died once for all (1 Peter 3:18;
Hebrews 9:27–28, Hebrews 10:10).
Jesus is now and forever both
God and man; but He is not an alien.

One might suppose
that alien beings have never
sinned, in which case they
would not need to be redeemed.
But then another
problem emerges: they suffer
the effects of sin, despite
having never sinned. Adam’s
sin has affected all of creation—
not just mankind.
Romans 8:20–22 makes it clear that the entirety
of creation suffers under the bondage of corruption. These kinds of issues
highlight the problem of attempting to incorporate an antibiblical notion
into the Christian worldview.

Extraterrestrial life is an evolutionary concept; it does not comport with
the biblical teachings of the uniqueness of the earth and the distinct spiritual
position of human beings. Of all the worlds in the universe, it was the earth
that God Himself visited, taking on the additional nature of a human being,
dying on a cross, and rising from the dead in order to redeem all who
would trust in Him. The biblical worldview sharply contrasts with the secular
worldview when it comes to alien life. So, which worldview does the scientific
evidence support? Do modern observations support the secular notion that
the universe is teeming with life, or the biblical notion that earth is unique?

Where Is Everybody?

So far, no one has discovered life on other planets or detected any radio
signals from intelligent aliens. This is certainly what a biblical creationist
would expect. Secular astronomers continue to search for life on other worlds,
but they have found only rocks and inanimate matter. Their radio searches are
met with silence. The real world is the biblical world—a universe designed by
God with the earth at the spiritual focal point, not an evolutionary universe
teeming with life.

When it comes to extraterrestrial life, science is diametrically opposed to
the evolutionary mentality. We currently have no evidence of alien life-forms.
This problem is not lost on the secular scientists. It has been said that the
atomic scientist Enrico Fermi was once discussing the topic of extraterrestrial
life when he asked the profound question, “Where is everybody?” Since there
are quite possibly multiple billions of planets in our galaxy, and since in the
secular view these are all accidents, it is almost inevitable that some of these had
the right conditions for life to evolve. And if some of these worlds are billions
of years older than ours, then at least some of them would have evolved intelligent
life eons ago. The universe should therefore have countless numbers of
technologically superior civilizations, any one of which could have colonized
our galaxy ages ago. Yet, we find no evidence of these civilizations. Where is
everybody? This problem has become known as the “Fermi paradox.”

This paradox for evolution is a feature of creation. We have seen that
the earth is designed for life. With its oceans of liquid water, a protective
atmosphere containing abundant free oxygen, and a distance from the sun
that is just right for life, earth was certainly designed by God to be inhabited.
But the other planets of the universe were not. From the sulfuric acid clouds
of Venus to the frozen wasteland of Pluto, the other worlds of our solar system
are beautiful and diverse, but they are not designed for life.

What about UFOs?

Sometimes after I speak on the topic of extraterrestrial life, someone will
ask me about UFOs. A UFO (unidentified flying object) is just that—an
object seen in the sky that is unidentified to the person seeing it. People often
want me to explain a sighting of some unknown flying object which they or
often a friend have claimed to see. (Sometimes the implication is that if I can’t
explain it, it somehow proves that it must be an alien spacecraft; but such
reasoning is completely vacuous.1) These kinds of questions are unreasonable.
It is one thing to be asked to interpret evidence that we have, but it is unrealistic
to ask someone to interpret undocumented second- or third-hand stories
with no actual evidence available for inspection.

There is no doubt that some people sincerely have seen things in the sky
that they do not understand. This is hardly surprising since there are lots
of things “up there,” which can be misunderstood by people not familiar
with them. These include Venus, satellites, the international space station, the
space shuttle, rockets, Iridium flares, manmade aircraft, internal reflections,
meteors, balloons, fireflies, aurorae, birds, ball lightning, lenticular clouds,
parhelia, etc. However, a person unfamiliar with these would see a UFO,
since the object is “unidentified” to him or her. It is how people interpret
what they see that can be questionable.

Remember that we always interpret evidence in light of our worldview. It
is therefore crucial to have a correct, biblical worldview. The fallacious worldview
of atheism/naturalism may lead someone to draw erroneous conclusions
about what they see. From a biblical worldview, we expect to occasionally see
things that are not easily explained, since our minds are finite. But UFOs are
not alien spacecraft, and of course, there is no tangible evidence to support
such a notion.

Why the Hype?

In the 1990s the television series The X-files entertained millions of
fans with stories of aliens, government conspiracies, and one dedicated
FBI agent’s relentless search for truth. The show’s motto, “The truth is out
there,” is a well-known phrase for sci-fi fans. But why is there such hype
surrounding the notion of extraterrestrial life? Why is science fiction programming
so popular? Why does SETI spend millions of dollars searching
for life in outer space?

The discovery of intelligent extraterrestrial life would certainly be seen as
a vindication of evolution; it is an expectation from a naturalistic worldview.
But the desire to meet aliens, especially intelligent, technologically advanced
ones, seems much more deeply felt than merely to vindicate evolutionary
predictions. What is the real issue? I’ve heard a number of different answers
from secular astronomers.

In some cases a belief in ETs may stem from a feeling of cosmic loneliness:
“If there are aliens, then we would not be alone in the universe.” In
many cases it comes from an academic desire to learn the mysteries of the universe;
a highly developed alien race might have advanced knowledge to pass
on to us. Perhaps such knowledge is not merely academic; the hypothetical
aliens may know the answers to fundamental questions of existence: “Why
am I here? What is the meaning of life?” and so on. An advanced alien race
might have medical knowledge far exceeding our own—knowledge which
could be used to cure our diseases. Perhaps their medical technology would
be so far advanced that they even hold the secret of life and death; with such
incredible medical knowledge, perhaps human beings would no longer have
to die—ever.

In a way, a belief in extraterrestrial life has become a secular replacement
for God. God is the one who can heal every disease. God is the one in
whom all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are deposited (Colossians 2:3). God is the one who can answer the fundamental questions of our
existence. God alone possesses the gift of eternal life (John 17:3). It is not
surprising that the unbelieving scientist would feel a sense of cosmic loneliness,
having rejected his Creator. But we are not alone in the universe;
there is God. God created us for fellowship with Him; thus, we have an innate
need for Him and for purpose. Although human beings have rejected
God, in Adam and by our sins as well, our need for fellowship with Him
remains.

When I think of the majority of intelligent scientists who have studied
God’s magnificent creation but have nonetheless rejected Him and have
instead chosen to believe in aliens and millions of years of evolution, I am
reminded of Romans 1:18–25. God’s invisible qualities—His eternal power
and divine nature—are clearly revealed in the natural world so that there is no
excuse for rejecting God or suppressing the truth about Him. The thinking
of man apart from God is nothing more than futile speculations. Exchanging
the truth of God, such as creation, for a lie, such as evolution, and turning to
a mere creature such as hypothetical aliens for answers is strikingly similar to
what is recorded in Romans 1:25.

But when we start from the Bible, the evidence makes sense. The universe
is consistent with the biblical teaching that the earth is a special creation.
The magnificent beauty and size of a universe, which is apparently devoid of
life except for one little world where life abounds, is exactly what we would
expect from a biblical worldview. The truth is not “out there;” the truth is in
there—in the Bible! The Lord Jesus is the truth (John 14:6). So, when we base our thinking on what God has said in His Word, we find that the universe
makes sense.

The New Answers Book 1

Footnotes

The argument is that alien spacecraft could not be explained by a natural phenomenon.
Therefore, it is suggested that witnessing something that cannot be explained naturally
must prove the existence of alien spacecraft. This is a logical fallacy called “affirming the
consequent.” It’s equivalent to saying, “All white dwarf stars are white. Fred is white; therefore
Fred is a white dwarf star.”